Open Letter to Congressman Chris Smith and His Delegates

M Gettaw, Aug 2018

“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”Mathew 5:7

“Ye rasewa wot eya-re-re-bat ye sew tamaselalech” roughly translated as ‘she stirs somebody else’s pot while her own pot is burning’. Ethiopian saying

It has been reported in the news that Congressman Smith is leading a US delegation to visit Ethiopia with the goal of making discussions with the Ethiopian government about democracy and rule of law. I don’t have any opposition to the visit or any help that the congressman and his delegates might provide to my country of birth. However, given the track record of Mr Smith in meddling in Ethiopian affairs over the last two decades, it is unlikely that this visit will be helpful. He has been leading many efforts to undermine the sovereignty of Ethiopia in coordination with enemies of the Ethiopian government including with groups that have declared war over the Ethiopian government. He has gone to the extent of ratifying a law that condemns the Ethiopian government which has been a trusted ally of the US government. There are also reports by known political scientists (FinianCunnigham 2018, Alex de Waal 2018) about the recent US-backed political realignment which tries to shift Ethiopia from its strategic economic partnership with China. In fact, as Cunningham notes, it is suspected that the new PM of Ethiopia’s rise to power is part of a long-term plan orchestrated byWashington and its Arab allies to fundamentally reorient the Horn of Africa region away from China’s economic influence.All these facts lead me to believe that the visit by Mr Smith and his team to be a continuation of the meddling that has been going on for several years. As WikiLeaks reports showed, the ego of the congressman has been hit after PM Meles had unequivocally told him to take off his hands from Ethiopian affairs as it is not his banana republic – which made him a strong critic of the late PM.

I believe that the congressman needs to first work towards cleaning his own house here before he can help Ethiopia. It is hypocritical that he is leading a delegation to help Ethiopia which in its own ways has charted its own destiny by developing policies that have resulted in impressive development and poverty reduction as witnessed by international including the World Bank, IMF and WHO. It is hypocritical that he is leading a delegation -

Whilehis ally and the sitting US President is implicated in a crime of violating campaign finance laws by his own long time persona lawyer;

While the US government is rolling back clean air regulations placed by the Obama administration which is totally opposed by most Californians – the people he is elected to serve;

While California, Mr Smith’s home state, is burning with unforgiving fires causing havoc and displacement in his own citizens;

While his fellow congressman Duncan from California is in hot water for violating campaign finance laws;

As the above bible quote and the Ethiopian saying show the US congressman should better stir his own pot which seems to be overcooking than meddling in the affairs of Ethiopia.

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